The 2nd most common question I get asked...

Once people know what I do for a living, the immediate question I always get asked is...

"How do I lose this" (*usually pointing to a belly or bingo wings)

The standard answer that everyone believes to be true is to “eat less and move more”, but unfortunately, it’s not that simple anymore.

When we lived a natural lifestyle, and everything else was as it should be, then yes, eating less and moving more would have been all it would take to lose some excess weight and be healthy. 

A simple calorie deficit. 

That said, if we were living a natural lifestyle we wouldn’t have any excess weight to lose – there’s a lesson there!

These days there’s a LOT more that needs to be done to ensure health as well as weight loss.

For starters, focussing on “weight” isn’t the way to go. It means very little by itself.

ALWAYS measure body fat percentage alongside weight, otherwise you’ve got no idea what it is you’re weighing.

It’s body fat we want to lose, not weight.

The trick is to make sure that the “weight” you’re losing is coming from excess body fat and not muscle tissue, and for that, you need a bit more than a simple calorie deficit.

Eating junk ‘as long as you’re within your calorie target’ is not a good way to go. (So curly wurly’s and jelly aren’t good just because they’re “low points!”)

Neither is “Dieting” without strength training.

Those are two sure-fire ways to make sure you keep hold of body fat and lose muscle (and the strength that comes with it). Your “weight” might go down, but you’ll still look (and feel) soft with no definition. Certainly not “toned”.

On top of that, because weight loss doesn’t automatically equal health, there are other factors you need to consider to ensure better health alongside your fat loss.

Rest, recovery, sleep, hydration, daily activity levels, stress management, macro- and micro-nutrients, breathing and other lifestyle factors should all be taken into account and optimised.

Here are my top 5 tips for healthy fat loss:

1.     Strength Train – You won’t get big and bulky, but you’ll maintain muscle tissue and strength. Don’t avoid the weights in favour of cardio.

2.     Focus on Body Fat Percentage, not weight – As I mentioned above, this is what you really want to lose, not weight. So unless you’re measuring your body fat, you’ve got no idea if you’re making progress or not.

3.     Create a reasonable, but not excessive calorie deficit – A few hundred calories a day below your Total Daily Energy Expenditure [TDEE] (you can find a calculator online to find this out) is enough. Any more and you risk losing more muscle and less body fat.

4.     Sleep well – Create a sleep routine that gets you 7-9 hours of quality sleep per night.

5.     Hydrate – Make sure you’re fully hydrated with water!

 

There are plenty of other things you can (and should) do, but these will get you started and it’s a lot better than just “eating less and moving more!”

Remember, if you focus on “weight” loss, your health will likely suffer, but if you focus on health, you’ll lose “weight” (bodyfat) along the way.

I cover everything you need to do in order to drop body fat whilst improving health at www.MoveBetter.Club check it out for more details.

 

 

Mark

"To know and not do, is not to know"

Here's the thing...

Everyone knows they should do more.

They know what they need to do (supposedly).

YOU know.

...but do you do it?

For most people, the answer is NO.

That's what my job is.

My job is, essentially, to get people to DO what they know they should be doing.

So many people refuse to hire a coach or get help because "they know what to do" or "it's too expensive", but the reality is, they just place higher priority on other things.

They'd rather binge on Netflix than go workout.

They'd rather have the newest iPhone than pay for a coach.

They'd rather follow a free plan that's not working and kid themselves that they're doing the right things (even though it's not working???)

Fancy cars and clothes... going out every weekend... takeaways multiple nights a week... everyone's different, but mostpeople will happily drop £100's every week/month on stuff that's unnecessary (and even damaging their health!), yet they won't spend it on their health.

Then they drive around in the fancy car, wearing the fancy clothes, getting their hair and nails done, lips pumped full of crap or buying other stuff to make them look/feel better, still unhappy with the way they look, because they'll do everything but the most important things - eat well and train.

So the message here is simple:

If you're not getting the results you want, because you're either not doing what you should be, or you're doing the wrong things - you need a coach.

...and I'd love to help you.

If you're ready to:

• Invest in yourself, not "stuff"

• Improve your health

• Lose some excess weight

• Move better

• Feel better

• Put in the effort

And you need help with:

• Knowing what to do (the right things)

• Staying on track and accountable

• Working around a busy schedule

• Troubleshooting issues as they arise

• Support along the way

Book in for a quick call with me (no charge), to see how/if I can help you.

Just fill out the form here and I'll be in touch.

I really do want to help! I've spent 20 years learning this stuff and it goes to waste if I don't share it!

So fill out the form and let's chat. Then you can decide if you want my help or not.

Fill it out.

Mark

What are humans supposed to eat?

Diet is a hot topic, and which "Diet" to follow is an ongoing argument.

As a Personal Trainer I've studied nutrition for nearly 20 years. 

I've completed courses and qualifications on nutrition, read multiple books, spoken to other coaches and clients, and basically absorbed as much information as I can on the subject in order to come to my own conclusions based on education and evidence, not just taking someone's word for it (no matter who they are).

And I've got to say it's a mess!

Not all people are the same, not all "Diets" are the same, and there's no one-size fits all "Diet".

What you have to do is look at what all of the most successful "Diets" have in common.

Usually it's:

- Appropriate calorie intake for the desired outcome

and

- A focus on real food, not fake foods

Really good "Diets" will also look at:

- Hydration (and what you're drinking)

- Sleep

- Lifestyle 

and

- What training you're doing

However, the most logical approach to nutrition, in my eyes, is to simply look at what humans have been eating for thousands of years, not the last few decades.

And I've got to say, the carnivore diet makes the most sense to me.

Whilst I'm still wrestling with the idea that vegetables may actually be bad for us, which goes against literally every nutrition course I've ever done, it does make sense.

Humans are hunters.

A tribe that was unsuccessful hunting would have died out pretty quickly.

They wouldn't have survived eating just plants.

Whilst animals can run, hide and fight to protect themselves, plants are stuck in the ground. And they don't want to be eaten.

So if they can't run, hide or fight, how would they protect themselves???

With chemicals that stop them from being eaten. Toxins.

And by eating plants, we are taking in those toxins - which explains why many people can't eat certain vegetables - because they're more sensitive to those chemicals.

The rest of us may be able to 'tolerate' them better, but that doesn't mean they're not doing us harm at some level.

The most successful humans were the best hunters.

Those are the tribes that thrived.

This, to me, says it all.

We'd have hunted for our food (animals), and only supplemented that food with plants if there wasn't enough.

Plants were for survival only, not to thrive.

Yes, there's an argument for vitamins and minerals in vegetables, but we also need to consider what the most prized parts of the animals were...

The organs.

Organ meats (liver, kidneys, heart, brain, eyes, testicles etc.) contain ALL of the nutrients we need to survive and thrive.

Our ancestors knew, either intuitively or by trial and error, that the organ meats were the most important parts to eat.

So, while I'm not saying at this point that you should stop eating vegetables, I am an advocate of eating meat, and organ meats (and eggs) for the bulk of your nutrition, and maybe questioning if vegetables are actually as good for us as we've been led to believe.

Obviously the quality of your meat is important (but let's face it - with everything they spray on crops these days, if the plant toxins don't kill you, the cocktail of chemicals they've been sprayed with will certainly do some damage!), so try to get the best that you can afford - organic and grass-fed is good.

(I get most of my meat here - it actually works out cheaper than the supermarket most of the time!)

I've never been a fan of vegetarian or vegan diets, and this is yet another reason why I truly believe that meat is an essential part of the human diet, and you need it to thrive.

Yes, I know there are healthy, fit and strong vegans out there, but that's not the majority, and the ones who make it work (long-term) use everything we know about food science to ensure they're getting it right - not just foregoing meat and living on banana sandwiches! 

Sorry vegans. I'm just not convinced. There are certain nutrients that we just can't get from plants.

Diet is a HUGE topic, so this is only a small part of it.

If you want my help with it, by all means get in touch and we can talk about Coaching.

I just hope after reading this you at least start to question what the best diet for humans might be, and maybe experiment a little.

For further reading I'd highly recommend The Carnivore Code

To your health!

Weight Loss or Fat Loss

I hope you're well. 

For this post I wanted to talk about something that a lot of people get a bit confused about...

The difference between weight loss and fat loss.

Most people will say they want to "lose weight", but what they really mean is they want to lose body fat.

"Weight" on the scales means very little.

When you jump on the scales, you're weighing not just body fat, but also muscle, bone, the contents of your stomach, the contents of your bowels...

(I'll never forget watching an episode of "The Biggest Loser" when one of the contestants lost a pound that week and one of the trainers furiously exclaimed "A pound?! I could shit a pound!" - Brilliant!)

It's actually an incredibly poor indicator of how much fat you're losing.

Everyone who's ever attended Weight Watchers or similar knows this - they often avoid eating all day before a weigh-in so the scales don't say they've put on weight!

That's a great way to deceive yourself and everyone else!

(They then proceed to smash an entire days' calories in one sitting, with their "low points" curly wurly's and pink wafers!)

IF you're going to weigh yourself - and let's face it, it IS something that people are worried about and the easiest metric to track - you need to do it at the same time every day, ideally first thing in the morning before you eat or drink anything, and then work out your weekly average. Then compare week to week.

DO NOT use a single day as a snapshot, because "weight" fluctuates massively.

But really, what you should be tracking is FAT LOSS

This is the one people are really thinking of when they talk about "weight loss".

No-one wants to shed 2 stone of muscle and keep hold of all of their fat - that would be insane.

Yet the scales would have you believe you're achieving your goal, because the number is dropping!

So in order to really know whether you're heading in the right direction or not, you need to be measuring your body fat percentage and using that to track your progress.

Ditch the scales, and start tracking body fat - that's what people are really trying to lose, not "weight".

If your body fat percentage drops, you know you've lost body fat, not muscle.

(The other way to decrease body fat, as a percentage, would be to increase muscle mass - this would likely mean an increase in weight!)

So whilst it's ok to talk about "weight loss", just remember that what you're really talking about is fat loss, and maybe replace the "weight loss" talk with "fat loss" talk to help other people realise the difference too.

If you ever hear me talking about weight loss, know that it's simply because that's what most people still talk about and think of - I will always mean, and be focussing on, fat loss. I'm just using language people resonate with. 

Using weight as a measure of progress would be doing people a massive injustice, and anyone who uses bodyweight to measure success is doing people a disservice (you know who I'm talking about).

Don't fall victim to the "weight loss" crowd. The fact they focus on weight shows they don't know what they're talking about.

And as for BMI...! Height to weight ratio is meaningless if you're using "weight" (12 stone of fat or 12 stone of muscle? There's a BIG difference!) 

I truly can't believe the NHS and even the army still use BMI - it truly isn't a "health" service - just a "sick" service.

Do yourself a favour - start tracking your body fat percentage and STOP stressing over your weight.

Unless you're 30 stone (in which case, yes, any weight loss is likely going to help extend your life right now), you should be looking at body fat, not weight.

There are various options, but just make sure you use the SAME method each time you measure, under the same conditions wherever possible.

The Naval Method is the cheapest option and is reasonably accurate.

I'd avoid the scales that supposedly measure BF% - mine are literally 10% OVER my actual BF% - not accurate AT ALL.

Leave a comment if you've found this useful.

Mark

Are you satisfied with your results?

When I talk to people about health and fitness they often tell me they know what they need to do.

...but the problem is - they don't!

They either don't DO it... or really, they DON'T know what they need to do.

I've been a Personal Trainer for nearly 20 years, so people always ask me about fitness and what to do (because they're not getting the results they'd like to see), yet when I suggest booking in for a consultation, they instantly dismiss it because they "don't need a trainer", they "know what to do"...

They ask for help, then don't want to hear the answer (or think I can just tell them in 30 seconds and it'll work like magic).

Maybe you've told yourself the same thing - you know what to do, you don't need to hire a coach.

So the question is - are you satisfied with the results you're getting?

Are you happy with the way you look, feel and perform?

Because if you're not - you DO need a coach!

If you're not getting the results you want, then you're doing something wrong.

It's that simple.

Now, you may not want to pay for a Personal Trainer. You'd rather spend your money on some new shoes, a new golf club, the latest iPhone, a Chinese takeaway, a meal in a fancy restaurant or just a few pints down the pub a couple of nights a week...

But you also want to look good. You want to feel good.

So why are you so opposed to investing your money into yourself rather than "spending" it "on" yourself.

If all you've got to show for all your hard work is "stuff", I'd say (my personal opinion), you're wasting your money, because at the end of the day, your health is far more valuable than any junk you can accumulate.

I think the NHS and free healthcare has allowed us to be complacent with our health and place too little value on it. Rather than invest in our health, we wait until it's gone then get it "fixed" for free. 

Except it's not fixed, is it?! We're sicker than we've ever been despite the best "healthcare" we've ever had...?!

People care more about how they look than how healthy they are.

They'll spend money on fancy clothes, fish lips, expensive jewellery, flashy cars, god knows how much on make up and creams, pills and potions... all to avoid the little bit of effort required to actually get in shape!

All I want for you is to realise that your health is the most important thing in your life. Your health IS your life.

Everything else pales in comparison.

My goal is to help as many people as possible to improve their health and enjoy the benefits of a strong, healthy body, mentally and physically, for as long as possible.

That's why I do what I do.

So, if you're not satisfied with the results you're getting and are worried that things are getting worse, not better - get in touch and we can discuss how I can help you.

The simplest (and cheapest) way to get started is to join MoveBetter.Club where I've laid out everything you need to do to start seeing positive changes.

If you want a bit more accountability and support, I have a group coaching program that's still very affordable.

And if you want one-to-one support and accountability, and my personal help and guidance all the way through, you can apply for Online Coaching with me and we'll book in a call to see if you're a good fit for the program.

I hope I can help you.

Mark

Do you have GOALS or WISHES?

A lot of people talk about their goals - what they want to achieve.

But without a plan of ACTION, a goal is simply a wish. You're just hoping it'll happen by chance without any effort.

A GOAL is something to WORK towards.

And to do that, you need to take action.

Goals have ONE purpose - to give you direction.

The key then, is to ensure you know what actions to take to move you closer to your goal.

When setting your goals, have the end in mind - what is it you want to achieve?

Then, use that outcome goal to figure out what actions you need to take to achieve that.

Once you have your actions written down, you can put the end/outcome goal to the side - it's kind of irrelevant now beyond using it for a bit of motivation.

What you need to focus on now, are your behaviour goals. The actions you need to take.

For example:

Your end/outcome goal might be to lose 2 stone in 1 year

You then need to write down exactly what you need to do to achieve that:

Don't drink alcohol during the week

Eat a freshly prepared meal 6 mights a week

When ordering takeaway or eating out, choose the healthiest option

Drink 3 litres of water per day

Train 3 times per week

And so on...

These are ACTIONS you can tick off each day, that will lead you towards your desired outcome. 

They'll change from person to person based on where you're at right now and your goal (this is just an example, not YOUR plan!), so make sure your actions are right for you.

A goal is utterly useless without a plan.

So, if you're guilty of saying you're going to do X, Y, Z, but don't actually do much to achieve it, this could be why; because you aren't sure what to do to achieve your goal.

Sit and figure out what you need to do, and start doing it.

As always, I'm here to help if you need it.

There's a section on goal setting in MoveBetter.Club - check it out when you join.

Mark

Age is just a number!

So, it's about 5 months (or 23 weeks) until I turn 40!

Not something I'm particularly bothered about but a lot of people seem to have started reminding me of this fact.

Granted, if something happens to me, people will no longer say "but he was so young!"

But age is just a number, and it's not a number I focus on. In fact, up until this year, I'd have had to stop and think for a minute if people asked me how old I am.

I'm pretty sure I was 28 for about 6 years! It's just not something I really pay any attention to.

What numbers DO I pay attention to?

Here are a few that I track regularly:

Resting Heart Rate - as it's a useful indicator of general fitness

Heart Rate Variability - because it shows me where I stand on a day to day basis - can I train hard to day? Or should I take it easy and focus on recovery?

Body Fat Percentage - whilst all we really care about is how we look, BF% is an easy way to measure that and track it.

Here are a couple I track occasionally:

Weight - really aren't too bothered about this. If BF% is where it should be, weight isn't a concern

Blood Pressure - like RHR it's just an indication for general health and worth keeping an eye on occasionally (especially if you're not in the best shape)

PLUS, I test my fitness every few months to see where I'm at performance-wise - and THESE are the ones I'm concerned about.

Things like Heart Rate Recovery, Strength, Power, Endurance.

I also like to learn new skills to keep my brain alive, and because why not?!

I hate saying "I used to be able to do _______" 

It pisses me off.

If I used to be able to do it, I should still be able to do it. It doesn't matter how "old" I am.

And I should also be able to do things I never used to be able to do, because that's progress.

I cover testing for all of these in MoveBetter.Club so if you're interested in finding out how you stack up, and how to improve on your numbers, definitely check it out and sign up.

So my mission over the next 23 weeks is this:

Maintain my body fat at 10-12%

Gain a few lbs of lean tissue (muscle)

Reduce my RHR by 5 beats per minute

Increase my average HRV score by 5-10 points

Increase my 12-minute run by 400m

Eat more liver

Eat less chocolate

Move BETTER than I do now

Note my aim is NOT "lose weight" or "do a photo shoot"

I have specific goals that actually MEAN something.

Losing weight and getting in shape are great, but they don't necessarily equate to better movement, better performance or better health. And you can't look that great if you don't move well. Photos lie.

If you want to get 100% clear on what you want to achieve and why (specifically, not just "I want to lose weight"), and HOW you can do that, get in touch.

Check out all the ways I can help you here

Or if you're happy to do the work by yourself and will keep yourself motivated and accountable but just want to know what to do, then again, MoveBetter.Club is your solution.

To your health!

Mark

Are You Fasting? ...Or Are You Starving Yourself?

I've always said that fasting should NOT be done for weight loss, just that weight loss can be a welcome side effect of fasting.

But there's a big difference between starving yourself (huge calorie deficit), and fasting done properly.

You see, fasting doesn't simply mean not eating, it's not eating for a specific period of time.

It doesn't necessarily mean eating fewer calories, it just means you eat them within a specific time window.

Many people jump on the fasting bandwagon and just start skipping meals, but they still pick at things between meals (especially calorie-containing drinks).

This is not fasting. It's just calorie restriction, and it can be dangerous.

If you want to start fasting, you need to pick your time period and not consume ANY calories (food or drink) within that time window.

The caveat though, to ensure you're not just starving yourself, is that you need to consume your regular daily calories when you do eat (though usually not all in one go).

This is where many people get it wrong.

Yes, you can save yourself a few calories by fasting because usually it's quite difficult to over-eat in a short time window (*if eating the right foods). 

And you can deliberately eat fewer calories (if hoping to achieve weight loss) whilst practicing fasting, but that's not the goal of fasting.

What you need to focus on when you do eat, is quality of food and nutritional content.

If you're eating fewer calories, you need to make sure you're getting all the nutrition you need from those calories.

Traditional "Diets" (and many of the "Diet" based clubs) have focused purely on calories, which will work to an extent, for a while... until it doesn't any more; but they don't focus on health.

During your non-fasting periods, you should:

1. Ensure you're getting adequate calories (set your calorie target based on your goals)

2. Prioritise healthy, nutritious foods over junk foods

3. Make sure you're hitting your Protein target - protein literally means "first place" or "primary" (derived from the Greek word Proteios)

4. Split the remaining calories (after protein) between carbohydrates and fats - again, your personal nutritional requirements will determine the ratio for this.

Whilst fasting, you should:

1. Not consume ANY calories, or "calorie-free" drinks (like "Diet" sodas etc.)

2. Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated and help with hunger

3. Keep yourself busy - often it's boredom that gets us, not actual hunger

I see too many people starving themselves all day only to come home and gorge themselves with junk food, because we tend to make poor food choices when we're hungry; certainly opting for quicker, easier, more convenient options, which are rarely the most nutritious.

So, if you're planning on using one of the the many fasting options out there (for most it will generally boil down to intermittent fasting of varying time windows), ensure that when you do eat, you're eating good, healthy foods, and not stuffing yourself with whatever you fancy "because you haven't eaten all day".

I talk about my preferred method of fasting in the trainings in MoveBetter.Club, so if you want more help with nutrition, training and lifestyle to improve health and get you moving better, check it out.

MoveBetter.Club

Mark

What Do I See When I Look In The Mirror?

We all want to look better.

The problem is... we're never happy.

The grass is always greener.

To most, I [apparently] look to be in pretty good shape.

But in truth, I feel I've got a LOOONG way to go still.

I resent that I don't look how I want to look after years of consistent effort, hard training, watching what I eat, even making a career out of helping other people achieve great physiques.

When I look in the mirror I see:

• A bit too much body fat
• Skinny legs
• Almost no shoulders
• Small arms
• A spongey waistline
• Bad posture
• No chest

Probably the same things most people see to some extent.

But working with and around guys who look amazing, how I'd want to look... They're all thinking the same! They don't see a great physique, they see the flaws and imperfections.

Body dysmorphia is real, people!

But it's not all bad.

You can USE that to spur you on, to make continual progress and to motivate you to work harder.

Don't get all depressed that you don't look the way you want (you never will, because there'll always be something you want to change).

Don't throw in the towel and say it's all pointless.

Focus not on how you look right now, or even on how you want to look (though I'm sure you've got a good idea), but on the progress you've made or are making.

I've had so many people over the years who've refused to take their "before" photos and regretted it 6 months down the line.

You'll never reach "perfect", but if you take pictures and compare them every few months, you'll see progress.

As long as you're seeing progress when you compare - you're doing it right!

Either carry on doing what you're doing, or if you want faster progress, tweak things to up the game; just make sure you're being realistic about what's achievable in your set timeframe.

So don't worry about what you see in the mirror not being what you want to see.

Use it to inspire you and make damn sure that when you compare photos in 6 months you've done something about it.

I hate seeing photos of myself - all I see is the negative, but what I'm really seeing is an opportunity to get better.

I'm not saying be happy with how you look no matter what, or to focus on the the negatives, I'm saying look at it from another angle and appreciate the flaws. See them for the opportunities they are.

Also consider the cost of getting into that "ideal" shape.

Time.
Effort.

Sacrificing family time for training.

Going without or limiting foods you enjoy.

Being miserable.

It's HARD work to get in cover model shape, and hard work to stay there.

Are you willing to pay that price?

Or would you be happy with being in "decent" shape, but still having time to enjoy yourself and have the odd treat? Being healthier and more energetic, not drained and tired from training all the time?

I've changed my focus over the years, especially since having kids.

I want to be here for as long as I can, for them.

I want to be able to keep up with them, maybe even beat them at sports even when I'm old.

I started to feel my knees hurting when I knelt on the floor to play with my 5-year old and couldn't stay there for more than a few minutes - then walked like an old man for a minute when I got up.

(That's not the case any more - now I can kneel or sit on the floor for as long as I want, the way we should be able to!)

And I created MoveBetter.Club to teach all of this to anyone who wants to know, even if they don't have the budget for Personal Training.

The point is, your goals will change and you'll always want more - it's natural.

The millionaire doesn't stop - he then wants 10 million... then 100 million... then a billion...

Fitness is the same. Why would you be happy when you know you could look and feel even better?

Don't get too hung up on what you see in the moment, instead focus on what improvements you made over time, be that a month or a year. 

As long as you're making progress, be happy.

And if you're like me, and no longer care who benches more than you but DO care about being able to move and function well now and in future, check out MoveBetter.Club.

Mark